Getting your first Student Finance pay-out is like winning the lottery, and then rent gobbles up most of your loan leaving you short for books, bills or bus fare. If you want to avoid the hardship, plan ahead!

Your budget doesn’t have to solve Fermat’s Last Theorem: just start by listing all the money you have coming in, and all the things you need to spend it on. If the sums don’t add up, you’ll either need to get more income, or cut your spending.

Why wait around for the joys of shelf stacking when you can do something on your own terms?

There are loads of ways to bring in extra money (try these 50 student start-ups on for size!) from going freelance to kick-starting a business or trading your talents. You can even forgo talent for plain old nerve if these gigs on Fiverr are to be believed. The point is – where there’s a will, there’s a wage.

Like a Netflix season finale, some things don’t always make sense – and that includes penalty fees for over-spending when your bank already knows you’re skint. While we don’t know what that’s all about, there are ways to avoid the sting:

Get a 0% overdraft if you’re entitled to one (it’s a free buffer if you ever overspend or run dry).

Set-up SMS alerts or email notifications – anything that warns you you’re running low on funds before you spend ‘em.

Aim to clear your debts asap. Set money aside to cover your purchases even if you’re on a 0% deal to avoid being stung with charges later.

There are loads of ways to borrow money in a crisis. Whether it’s on an overdraft or a credit card, the smarter way involves planning ahead so you do it as cheaply as possible.

With all the love in the world, there are few things less awkward than British haggling – but it’s only asking if you can pay less. It might not work in supermarkets or snooty restaurants but for everything else, there’s mastering the art of haggling.

If you need a prop, use a reason: money off for paying in cash or for trading in, or just because you’re a student (even if they don’t advertise a student discount). If you’re super confident, step up to bartering, i.e., trading something you can do for something you want. We’re not saying it’s easy, but the secret is not being embarrassed about asking: the worst they can say is no.

If you don’t need your loan or overdraft immediately, find a high-interest paying account to keep the money in to earn on it instead. Make sure you’re spot on with your budgeting first!

Save little, often and regularly. Your future self will hug you for this.

Show no loyalty to the banks: keep scouting and switching for better interest, overdrafts, charges or cash rewards.

Is it as easy as it sounds? Yes and no, but thinking about what you want your finances to look like a month, a year or a decade from now is great prep. Once you’ve got something in mind– and something to work towards – everything else can fall into place.